We Are Love

The Charlatans、結成37年、約8年5カ月ぶりとなるファン待望の14作目のスタジオ・アルバムが完成!
レコーディングは全英アルバム・チャート1位を記録した『Telling Stories』を生んだ伝説のRockfield Studios!!先行シングルのアルバム・タイトル曲は「好きな映画のエンドロールで、オープンカーに乗って海岸沿いを素晴らしい場所へとドライブしているような感じだ」 by Tim。ファンも「若々しい」「瑞々しい」と高い評価!

■本作:約8年5カ月ぶりとなる14作目のスタジオ・アルバム。
■最強のコラボレーター:Kevin Godley(10CC)が参加! Timがこれ以上のコラボレーターはいないとコメント。
■レコーディング:全英アルバム・チャートで1位を獲得した5作目のアルバム、『Telling Stories』(1997年)以来、Rockfield Studios(Black Sabbath、Queen、OASISなどが使用した伝説のレコーディング・スタジオ)でレコーディングされた初のアルバム。
■プロデューサー:Dev Hynes=ニューヨークを拠点にするイギリス人のシンガー、ソングライター、プロデューサー、作曲家、監督 / Stephen Street=イギリス人のプロデューサー(Smiths、the Cranberries、 Blur、Morrisseyなど)

■仕様:盤はブラック・ヴァイナル

The Charlatans have been through a lot over the course of their long career, from highs like reaching the top of the charts to lows as low as losing members of the band to early deaths. Through it all, they have continued to press on making records that by the time of 2025s We Are Love sound like nobody other than them. The album came after a long break, and the group seem reinvigorated and glad to be back making music, even though the overall tone of the album is firmly planted on the sad side. Much of that comes down to the band delving into the death and sadness that has followed them, some of iwhich comes with getting older and having more life and times to look back on. Thanks to the sympathetic production from the team of Dev Hynes, Stephen Street, and Fred MacPherson, We Are Love sounds great: very warm and layered with richness, like a classic 70s album. This lends the songs even more of a sense of sepia-toned nostalgia, especially on the couple of songs where they kick up an almost baggy backbeat. Mostly the record is moored in the midtempo, with the organs swirling calmly, the guitars jangling, and the rhythm section holding it down with easy grace. Over the top, Tim Burgess croons with his usual everyman simplicity, delivering lyrics that exude tangible wistfulness and occasionally some near-whimsy. The result is an album full of songs like "For the Girls" and "Many a Day a Heartache" that come across like best-case scenarios for what one has hoped that the band might sound like someday, blending together elements of all their eras to end up with a powerful rock & roll sound, while the ballads -- especially the album-ending "Everything Now" -- have an emotional depth that feels earned. The band might not be looked at as being as legendary as some of their flashier, more tempestuous peers, but theres something to be said for keeping on course, making really solidly good records, and when the stars align, coming up with something that verges on greatness. The Charlatans have done that with We Are Love, and while it may not win them front-page news, its an accomplishment well worth applauding. ~ Tim Sendra